*/ get 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒈𝒆

Kate wasn’t an artist, but something she did like to do from time to time was sketch. It was a bit of a relief for her from work and sometimes she even did sketches for the agents. With earbuds in, she kept her eyes on the paper, seeing feet in her vision. Taking out the headphones, the redhead glanced up, tilting her head. “Can I help you?” @slchat​

“I was actually just noticing your art style. Sorry. Not meaning to stare.”

“What I’ve heard, it’s easier to join them than leaving. After all, they play mindgames, so who knows what kind of emotional violence is used against those who want to leave the cult.” Bobbie shrugged a bit. “Who knows. But it definitely is better to stay away from those in general. The best way to avoid getting into a cult is to be extremely incredulous of everyone.”

“That’s what’s terrifying. It’s as if you’re signing your own death certificate the second you join one of those. In a lot of cases, they make them severe all ties with their families and friends who might talk sense to them. Or worse, they threaten if they leave they’ll harm their friends or families. Dogmatic individuals are really fucked up.” Wade let out a chuckle before nodding once. “Good point, better to be safe than sorry. And trust nobody not even yourself.” He deadpanned before smiling because he thought of the meme of the same saying. 

Emilia nodded eagerly, excited about the topic, “Yeah like totally here for like… not planning any major campaigns during a retrograde, that fully makes sense. But I mean I’d probably be kinda fucked if I based my entire upload schedule on the stars.” Her management would certainly lose their shit if she even suggested that, so she felt it was probably better to listen to their statistics and all that than risk anything. Even her own livelihood wasn’t worth the gamble, much less anyone else’s. “Honestly same, I’m almost convinced that they’re doing some shrooms at the Co-star HQ. I mean their stuff is legit, but their writing staff is clearly on something.” That might have been a detrimental statement. It wasn’t. “Good call, I’m gonna tag everyone. It’s gonna be a whole public call-out,” she said, fully sold on that idea. Her first social media exposé. Maybe it was a stupid idea, but at least she could blame Wade for it. “Guess we’re taking down a frat house this month, what a solid place to start.”

“Can’t at all fault you for that. I completely forget there’s people who really go all out in not making serious engagements until I see those chaotic youtube videos about retrograde warnings on my recommended feed.” Which he still watched, purely out of curiosity, and procrastination. “They have to be doing shrooms. I mean somedays feel too spot on, other days will be some off the wall warning about how saying ‘fuck you’ to a random stranger is essential for growth.” Even if Wade thought the concept itself seemed like a fun experiment. “See, then it’s exactly what they deserve. I’m proud already.” Really, in what reality didn’t fraternity bros not deserve to be served some callout justice? “Go big or go home, right? Besides, it’s not a contract or buying something life altering, so really we’re loopholing this retrograde already.” 

“Didn’t you know how weird is my middle name? Kidding, of course, I don’t think it’s morbid. I’m into that stuff, ha. I need to look that one up… my favorite one is by far a documentary about Ronald DeFeo. It’s really interesting to see how he tries to blame everything on demons when in reality he went coo-coo.” Letting out a laugh, Nirvana shook her head. “You’re adorable you know that?” she asked, tilting her head on the side. “I dunno. One donut doesn’t deserve my forgiveness… offer me two and I might start thinking about it.” 

“That’s what you think. Your energy is way off. I can feel your near-giggle from all the way over here. Now… breathe.” Just as she said, she took in a slow inhale, letting the air settle and expand in her middle. “And center yourself. Visualize in your mind’s eye a clear, happy space. There’s a warm light radiating from you, and it’s renewing your apartment, bit by bit, the more it edges outwards. Pushing the negative energy out and away and cleansing the space.”

“No you cannot.. So drink” she teased and clapping when he downed the shot. “Now you gotta do another.. Then we’re even” she smirked with a devilish glint in her eye. “Of course I did, what else would I have got. We are out to… drink to forget..” she suggested because she didn’t actually know if they were celebrating anything or out for the sake of it.

“Fine,. I promise I will and mine is.. Awesome..” before crossing her arm and raising a brow. “How…?!” she squeaked and began laughing because that was funny “What the fuck did you drink?” asking before humming “Okay. So my friend … This was back in college, she took nudes … on a fucking polaroid… And gave them to some guy.. in an envelope.. And then she saw the same envelope in our TAs bag.. in a bar.. So to save her the embarrassment, we stole them from his bag…. and I was running, across the bar top… and I fell, cut my head open.. In front of everyone.. Then tried to get up off the bar, and managed to pull down a shot of tequila…. into my cut.”

He barely felt the burning in his throat from the shot subside before he heard Lana. “Another? Do you promise we’re even after?” He asked tauntingly, almost positive that another shot might land him into a tipsy state with how strong the tequila was. “Good point, I’m glad you sprung for the strong stuff in that case.” And then he poured another shot to ready himself for it. 

“How awesome are we talking?” Wade inquired with his curiosity peaked. Letting out a chuckle, he shook his head. “That’s a question I’d still like to know. “I drank... tequila, tequila, and oh yeah, more tequila. I think maybe also a jager bomb might’ve been thrown in there too.” Which couldn’t have been a great combination. Allowing his mouth to fall open in shock of her story, he lulled his head to one side. “Holy shit. You were right. That is an awesome drunk story. I have so many questions, one of which how it got into your TA’s bag? And how you managed to get up and clean your own cut with tequila? That’s some Bear Grylls shit, props.”

“I know right, it’s enough to drive any shitty spirit away. Didn’t they close the case on Zodiac?” Billie asked. She wasn’t 100% on her true crime knowledge, and wasn’t particularly interested in that department anyway. There were murderers, sadists, and pedos every which way you looked; no need to devote your life to studying them. “Who’s Lavinia Fisher?”

“Shit, you’re right. I guess I’m still in denial they really closed it without further investigation. Maybe DNA someday like the golden state killer.” Wade shrugged with a small sigh, trying to remain in deadpan. “She’s the first recorded female serial killer. She had a bed and breakfast and reportedly added poison to guests tea. It’d knock them out long enough for her to pull a lever where their beds would fall into a dirt pit, where allegedly there were spikes awaiting below. Pretty metal if you ask me.” 

Isadora playfully rolled her eyes as Wade began talking about her signs and the stars. It was like another language. And as much as she tried to pay attention, provide him information like where she was born and at what time, she just couldn’t piece together information he was saying. “Last week you said I did something that was very Gemini of me. Now I’m a Sagittarius,” she scolded lightly, turning her head to peer at him over her shoulder with displeased look on her face. “I bet tomorrow you’re going to tell me I’m a Pisces because I tie my shoes a certain way.” As Wade fired off question after question, and vocalized all the details Isadora needed to iron out before decided to hop on a plane, she scrunched her nose. Obviously, she didn’t have any of that sorted. Who would pay for the house? Who would live in it while she was gone? What was she going to do about her upcoming deadlines? Where would she stay? Where would she even go? He was her voice of reason and was actively bringing her head out of the clouds an back to reality. But when he boasted about her abilities, a small smile crept onto his lips. “Aer you sure you’re to just saying that so I don’t leave Silver Lake? Cause that would be the perfect thing to say in this situation where I’m ready to pack my bags and leave. You could come with me if you wanted,” she said, watching his face for a reaction.

“I’m not miserable, per se. I’m just over writing about things I don’t care about,” Iz said as she moved from her spot in front of the stove to stand across from him. The island was littered with half-cut vegetables, a variety of cheeses and two bottles of wine to choose from. She liked to leave it to her guests to decide whenever she had people over, and she was hoping he wouldn’t say no to onions in their pasta. “Does that still sound very Sagittarius of me?”

“To be completely fair, you are a gemini sun and sagittarius moon.” Wade jeered playfully in response, paying her a pleadingly innocent glance. Even if he started looking into astrology just for shits and giggles, ultimately the pay off was noticing how there were actual similarities between people’s signs and their actions. “Not if your shoe ties a certain way, but... you know, maybe if daydream yourself into a nap, I might.” Even if he wanted to bring the gravity of reality to her idea, he was skeptical that she was really serious about this from the get go, which only enticed him more when he’d heard her. “Now why would I go doing something like that? I mean, other than the obvious of you not doing something completely reckless. But you know.” Appearing in a long trance of thought, he finally started to crack into a smile. “If I’m honest a break from this place might be what I need. A change of scenery. I just don’t wanna damper the whimsical mood.” He teased. 

“So stop writing about things you don’t care about. And I know that’s easier said than done with money, but, I think you should write about what you’re passionate about. What’s the point otherwise?” He surmised with a shrug, thinking on how he should probably jot down some of his own advice. “This looks great by the way. What’re we having?” Wade gestured before he lifted a tomato to examine. “And to answer your question? It does, but I think it’s warranted. You should go after the things that matter to you, Iz.” 

“And you have a right to choose that path for yourself. Maybe that’s how you find harmony. Spirit always has a plan and a design for the universe, even if you yourself don’t actively participate in it.” She was saying all of this without any hint of irony or sarcasm, but, maybe, just maybe there was a chance she was delving extra deep into it all for the sole purpose of unsettling him. Although she wouldn’t have called it that. She’d call it… challenging his cynicism. “Fine, just my tarot decks, then. I –” Stopping herself in the middle of the red creeping up on her cheeks, she turned her head slightly, fighting off a shy smile. “I can help, but you have to be present in it, too. You know. Take it serious.” Flicking her eyes up at him in a stare, she only blinked once or twice before adding, “Then you can double check.”

Isadora shook her head at his explanation, finding it to be both extreme and completely logical at the same time. Given his field of work, it didn’t hurt to be one step ahead of the individuals he would someday be trying to catch. But she still couldn’t wrap her head around all the research he must have done for cases similar to the hypothetical cult terrorizing Silver Lake. “If anyone were to be secretly recruiting members for a cult, it would be Taylor Swift, or any one of those Youtubers that live in the Hills. Their followers worship the feet that they walk in. I’ll keep an eye out for you, you know, just in case.”

“Yeah, that’s also a thing. I don’t know if they did a chart for the business or like…” she waved her hand in the air as she thought about it, “I don’t know, looking at the PR teams’ charts to make decisions or whatever.” Didn’t make a whole lot of sense to her either way, it seemed like a lot of wasted effort and a lot of unnecessary risk. Kind of like the frat party, when she thought about it. His judgment of them as a species made her laugh, “They are but it’s one of those trainwreck things, like they’re out there being trash and I feel kinda compelled to witness it and post it on my Instagram story.”

“I’d probably hate that if I were them. The weight of figuring out what works for a company as far as marketing and charts? Like someone’s decisions? Sure, why not? The livelihood of employees, investors, and families? Hard pass.”  Things may have been written in the stars, sure, but that was a whole other level of ridiculous stress. “Although I think writing for the co-star app would be a good laugh.” Wade let a chuckle out as he folded his arms. “You know, when you put it like that, I think you should -- but, only if you make sure to get their instagram handles in tagging them. They probably deserve it. Plus, who wouldn’t wanna see those sorta frat guys finally get a spotlight on being the family embarrassment?” 

“I might have, I’m just not sure.” Especially if it was something that happened when he was living at Slab City he definitely wouldn’t know much of what happened in the outside world. But as the guy started to explain and mentioned the year the memory of reading about this news started to make a return in Bobbie’s mind. He continued listening, nodding his head few times. “Sometimes I wonder if idiocity iscontagious. A wolf leading a flock of sheep and no one questions it. In a way I think they deserved their fate. Natural selection.”

“You can’t help but wonder, right? There’s been so many instances where people get pushed into stupid dangerous situations without protest. -- I’d definitely agree, considering they always had the power to leave. But ah, you know. Sounds like it’d be easier to avoid it all together, before the dogmatic cult leader starts doing some sort of brainwashing scare tactics.”